Following implementation of a SC directive by the CISCE, they will have to appear for an additional 100 marks paper in environmental education.
MUMBAI: Class X students appearing for the ICSE examinations in a fortnight are jittery.
Following implementation of a Supreme Court directive by the Council for the Indian School Certificate Examinations (CISCE), they will have to appear for an additional 100 marks paper in environmental education. Their fear is that this paper will have a strong bearing on their overall scores.
But class X students of the Maharashtra Board for Secondary and Higher Secondary Education and the Central Board of Secondary Education have no such fear.
After the Supreme Court ordered that schools affiliated to the CISCE, CBSE, and state boards must offer the subject, the CBSE and the Maharashtra board introduced it for class X but did not make it part of their examination syllabus. The CISCE, on the other hand, included it as a theory paper of 100 marks for the upcoming examination.
Students are not happy with the decision. Many of them fear that the additional subject has come in too late for them to adequately prepare for it and improve their scores.
“This has increased our burden,” said Aditya Agarwal, a class X student from Activity High School, Pedder Road.
“It’s a tricky subject and requires overall awareness about environmental issues. Besides, we will be swimming in uncharted territory. Being the first batch to appear for the exam, we are unaware of the pattern of questions and have been forced to restrict ourselves to the syllabus offered by the board.”
Students feel that instead of allotting marks, the board should have gone for grades. “Environmental education is a great subject, but its study should be oriented towards practicals,” said Aliaya Ladhabhoy, a class X student of the same school. “A 100 marks test puts more pressure on students. For me at least, the new subject has eaten into the time I have allotted for revising other subjects.”
It’s not just the students. Schools are also worried about how they will cope with the additional subject. “We are helping students sort out their problems with the subject,” said Perlin Bagli, principal of Activity High School.
“We had appealed to the board to allot grades, but the board said that might happen from the next academic year,” said MP Sharma, principal, GD Somani High School.
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